AP: Case against CM's brother, nephew

The 12th additional metropolitan magistrate on Monday remanded dissident Congress legislator P Janardhan Reddy's son P Vishnuvardhan Reddy and his son-in-law Mahipal Reddy to judicial custody till July 20, even as Jubilee Hills police registered a case against Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy's younger brother Y S Ravindranath Reddy and his nephew Y S Sumadhar Reddy in connection with the clash on Sunday night in Jubilee Hills area.

It may be recalled that the police had arrested the Congress MLA's son and son-in-law on Sunday night on a complaint lodged by the CM's brother, following an unsavoury incident in the afternoon at Road No. 10 in Jubilee Hills.

The houses of the MLA's daughter and the CM's brother are located on the same road in the MLAs and MPs' colony.

Denial of passage to Ravindranath Reddy's car on the road in front of Janardhan Reddy's daughter's house, where a house-warming ceremony was on, led to heated arguments between family members of PJR and YSR's brother and nephew.

YSR's nephew blew the horn of his car even as PJR's family members were alighting from a car that had blocked the road.

Ravindranath Reddy and his son were allegedly beaten up by the MLA's son, son-in-law and other relatives.

Ravindranath Reddy's car was also damaged in the melee. Ravindranath Reddy lodged a complaint with Jubilee Hills police and he and his son were admitted in a corporate hospital for injuries sustained in the attack by PJR's relatives.

Jubilee Hills Police registered a case under Sections 147, 149 (e), 427, 506 and 307 (attempt to murder) against Vishnuvardhan Reddy and Mahipal Reddy and arrested them.

PJR and his wife Sulochanamma accompanied their son and son-in-law to the police station. PJR staged a dharna at the police station.

The police made it clear that the MLA was not arrested, and he was in the station on his own.

Other Congress dissident MLAs M Shashidhar Reddy and Dr P Shankar Rao visited the police station and extended solidarity to PJR.

The arrested duo were produced in the magistrate's court on Monday and were sent to Chanchalguda jail till July 20.

Again, PJR and his supporters staged a dharna in front of the Jubilee Hills police station on Monday morning demanding that the police also register a case under Section 307 IPC (attempt to murder) against Ravindranath Reddy and Sumadhar Reddy and to arrest them for allegedly attacking his son and other relatives.

Following a complaint lodged by PJR's wife Sulochanamma, the Jubilee Hills polie registered a case under Sections 143, 144, 341 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code against the CM's brother and nephew. The police did not arrest the father-son duo.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao, his party MLAs and MLCs (Members of Legislative Council) met PJR at the police station and expressed solidarity with him.

Telugu Desam G Sayanna also expressed solidarity with PJR. Both TRS and TDP leaders demanded immediate arrest of the CM's brother and nephew.

Meanwhile, AP Congress Committee president Dr K Keshav Rao termed the incident as unfortunate. He blamed the media for blowing up a 'small issue.'

He said that the incident had nothing to do with the party and it was a minor dispute between two families. He, however, said that he would try to settle the issue.

Senior Congress leader Palvai Govardhan Reddy described the incident as 'purely personal'.

"It is not proper to interfere in the matter. If needed, I will try to solve the issue amicably by talking to both the parties," he added.

However, the ruling party was embarrassed by the incident, which is seen as a fall-out of the simmering differences between PJR and the chief minister.

PJR, a former leader of Congress Legislature Party, has been overtly critical of YSR, apparently peeved at his non-inclusion in the state Cabinet.

Incidentally, the incident occurred on a day when the CM, with his family members, was away in Maldives to celebrate his 58th birthday.